Maintenance Costs for Gwanghwamun Plaza Exceed W350 Million Since Opening

Total maintenance costs for Gwanghwamun Plaza reached W367 million in the two months since it opened in August, a report reveals. The Center for Open Information (CFOI) on Tuesday released a breakdown of the plaza's maintenance costs for August and September that it received from the Seoul Metropolitan Facilities Management Corporation (SMFMC).

Some W104 million was spent to keep up the public space in August and W263 million in September, with labor costs taking up the biggest share. It cost W75 million to pay employees in August, and W62 million in September. A further W18 million was spent to install CCTVs and build a 24-hour security office.

CFOI official Jeon Jin-han said, "According to the current spending rate, it appears that it will cost W2 billion a year to maintain Gwanghwamun Plaza. The Seoul Metropolitan Government needs to find ways to reduce costs."

But an SMFMC official said the released data includes costs for office workers and rent for office space, while the real cost for maintaining the plaza is around W38 million per month, which includes electricity and water fees and the wages of temporary workers.